Strap-style article carrier

Abstract

The invention provides an article carrier for heavy articles such as an outboard motor. It includes a pair of article-encircling loops including a rear strap loop for encircling the stern portion of an outboard motor and a front strap loop encircling the front portion of the motor. Each of the loops is positioned during use in an inclined plane such that the rear strap loop projects rearwardly from the handle at an oblique angle and the front strap loop projects forwardly at an oblique angle whereby the loops lie in inclined planes and encircle the motor obliquely when in place on the motor housing. A handle formed from a flexible member is connected to the article carrier at the top of the motor during use to provide a hand grip for the carrier. Releasable fasteners are secured to at least one of the loops for holding the loops in place on the motor during use. The strap assembly includes a tension-absorbing portion at the top of the strap assembly, which can either be a portion of the straps themselves or a separate strong, flexible connecting element such as a piece of fabric webbing that is connected to upper portions of the article-encircling straps for holding the straps in place at the top of the motor.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A carrier for a heavy article such as an outboard motor having a top portion, sides, a front, a rear, and a fore and aft axis, said carrier comprising, a strap means that has a pair of article-encircling loops of flexible strap material including a rear strap loop for encircling the rear of the article and a from strap loop encircling the from of the article,   a hand grip member for providing a comfortable gripping surface, said hand grip member is supported upon the article-encircling loops of strap material at a top portion of the article during use to provide a hand grip for the carrier,   each of said article-encircling loops of strap material is positioned during use in an inclined plane wherein the rear strap loop projects rearwardly from the hand grip member at an oblique angle and the front strap loop projects forwardly at an oblique angle whereby the strap loops lie in inclined planes and encircle the article obliquely when in place on the article such that the strap loops are spread apart at a bottom portion of the article,   portions of the loops of strap material are together at the top of the carrier adjacent to the hand grip member,   the portions of the loops of strap material that are together and said hand grip member are both oriented to lie across the top portion of said article so as to extend from one side thereof to the other side at right angles to the fore and aft axis thereof,   releasable fastener means secured to at least one of the strap loops for holding the carrier in place on the article during use, and   the hand grip member extends at least partially around an upper portion of the article-encircling loops where the loops pass over the top surface of the article that is being carded and the loops extend all the way from one side of the article across the top of the article and thence downwardly across an opposite side thereof.   
     
     
       2. The article carrier of claim 1 wherein the strap means is a single strap that includes said two loops of strap material and said single strap has portions that cross one another where the loops are together at the top of the carrier. 
     
     
       3. The article carrier of claim 2 wherein the hand grip member is formed from fabric material and is positioned adjacent to the portions of the strap that cross one another where the loops are together at the top of the carrier. 
     
     
       4. The article carrier of claim 1 wherein the hand grip member has edges that are connected together to encircle the portions of the strap that cross one another. 
     
     
       5. The article carrier of claim 1 wherein the article carrier comprises a flexible strap including both of said article-encircling loops of strap material including said front loop of strap material which extends across the top of the article that is being carded and said rear loop of strap material that extends across the top of the article and intersects the front loop of strap material, the article-encircling loops of strap material intersect one another at the top of the article carrier and the hand grip member is supported upon the intersecting portions of the article-encircling sections of strap material so as to facilitate lifting the article. 
     
     
       6. An article carrier for heavy articles such as an outboard motor having a from portion, a rear portion, a top and opposing sides comprising, at least one article-encircling strap having two loops therein including a rear strap loop for encircling the rear portion of the outboard motor and a front strap loop encircling the front portion of the motor,   a handle formed from a grip member is mounted upon the article-encircling strap at the top of the motor during use to provide a hand grip for the carrier,   said article-encircling loops being positioned during use in inclined planes such that the rear strap loop projects rearwardly from the handle at an oblique angle and the front strap loop projects forwardly at an oblique angle whereby the loops lie in inclined planes and encircle the motor obliquely when in place on the motor,   releasable fastener means secured to at least one of the strap loops for securing the carrier in place on the motor during use,   the article-encircling loops include a first strap loop portion that extends across the top of the article being carded and a second strap loop portion that extends across the top of the article being carded, and said first and second strap loop portions intersect one another at the top of the article carrier for defining a support point for lifting the article that is to be carded with the handle supported thereon.   
     
     
       7. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein the handle extends across the article from one side to the other in alignment with the loops. 
     
     
       8. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein the handle is formed from flexible material and is connected to the support point at the top of the article carrier where the strap loops intersect one another to provide a smooth hand-engaging surface to facilitate lifting the article. 
     
     
       9. The article carrier of claim 8 wherein the handle member is a piece of fabric, and the piece of fabric is positioned to encircle the portions of the strap loops that intersect one another. 
     
     
       10. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein the handle comprises a piece of fabric encircling portions of strap material and the handle is supported thereby. 
     
     
       11. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein portions of the article-encircling loops both extend across the article from one side thereof to the other where the loops intersect one another at a support point of the article carrier. 
     
     
       12. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein a pair of longitudinally extending spaced apart lateral straps are connected between lower portions of the loops to prevent the lower portions of the loops from falling off the article that is being carded. 
     
     
       13. The article carrier of claim 6 wherein the article encircling strap is fabric webbing and the intersecting portions thereof are stitched together.